Therapy

This blog is about tea, travels, life and adventures–and some extraordinary moments I have witnessed–people, places and spirit. And always, everywhere, the teas I’ve tasted. The cups and the lives filled to the brim. I’ve had beautiful formal teas, healing teas, uplifting teas, teas while traveling and meditating.

Here is an excerpt from a video I shot in Tibet along with a recipe.

Yak Butter Tea

After yak meat has been boiled for several hours in a big pot, the fat which is swimming on top is removed with a wooden ladle. It is then placed into a long narrow wooden container made from a hollowed tree trunk. It is then churned with a wooden stick until it is has creamy buttery consistency. A few sprinkles of salt are added. It is then poured into a bowl with strong black tea. The mixture of tea and heavy cream becomes a broth which invigorates and warms every part of your body. It is especially recommended in high altitudes. It stimulates circulation and digestion. (Also, see my blog from February 22 for more details and recipes about preparing traditional or simple Butter Tea.)

You may also enjoy a delicious tea of Passiflora (Passionflower), white lotus blossoms and chrysanthemum. It will stimulate circulation and increase fertility. It is recommended to treat nervous stress and anxiety and give a restful sleep.

My book about my tales of travel, teas of the world and healing systems is forthcoming. Here is an excerpt from the chapter about Tibet:

“…So many times in life, bitter experiences guide us to the most important wake up calls. I learned that they have been calls to grow up and ascend to the next steps of awareness. As with healing teas, too often the most potent ones are also the most bitter. For example, dandelion cleanses toxins from collected anger held in the gallbladder, and goldenseal, with its harsh taste, cleanses the liver, detoxifying it from excesses and generally supports the immune system. Two of my most bitter experiences purged me of my anger and brought me closer to an understanding of enlightenment. His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, ‘Your enemy is your greatest teacher. Respect him.’”

Time stands still when you’re enjoying a cup of mild floral healing tea while resting amidst the healing temple and ancient ruins in Greece. Those precious recipes are as powerful today as they were centuries earlier. Despite the fact that Greeks love their Turkish coffee, they all believe in the healing power of herbal teas.

Please enjoy this excerpt from one of my videos shot in Greece.

Transform your home into a healing temple with just a few ingredients:

A rejuvenating and revitalizing plant, Wild Rose Tea can reduce the metals that can poison the body. The tea for removing poisonous metals, as in mercury dental fillings, is Cistus Incanus. It is also believed to help whiten the teeth and have other dental healing properties. The high polyphenol content of vitamin P stops the oxidation process in the cells. A rejuvenating and revitalizing plant, the regenerating light pink wild rose also has the benefit of working as an antibiotic and as an antiviral agent. Some people say that just drinking this pleasant tasting tea helps to repel ticks.

Place 1 teaspoon of the herb in a cup. Pour boiling water over it and let it sit for five minutes.

Add honey or maple syrup for added pleasure.

Lemon, Hibiscus Flowers and Darjeeling (or Assam) Tea with Maple syrup is a delightful summer drink. Boil all ingredients together. Steep ten minutes for a rich, full flavor. Add maple syrup. Then add ice and cool in the refrigerator overnight.

In my forthcoming book you will read stories about my extensive travels, and the wisdom I have gathered about Tea and Healing.

Here is an excerpt from the chapter about Greece:

“In essence, the white light of Greece greeted me as if I had travelled for one year under a hazy glass dome. I remembered Henry Miller’s description of the incredible light in Greece, like nowhere else in the world, in his book “Venus in the Light.” All of a sudden the blue sky and sunlight were so eye-opening that everything seemed bright, clearing my brain from the extremes of the year’s impressions. It felt exactly right that I was back in Europe.

In Greece, the etheric becomes physical and you grasp, in its entirety, the concept of mind, body and spirit.

On a summer morning I climbed up the mountain in the center of Athens to visit the old ruins. I loved columns and always wanted to live in a house with a courtyard framed by them. The Acropolis was flickering in the white light. The reflection of old marble stones and carved columns and the king’s chair stood in an open space on top of the hill. A fresh breeze was blowing so gently, as if nothing could move time. Today you would only see these monuments in the confinement of a museum. This was the beginning of my long relationship to Greece…although I did not yet realize it… It must be a healing light, the light of Greece….”